HOG FUTURES: C.J. O’GRADY

Tight end not afraid of a crowd

Fayetteville tight end C.J. O'Grady (15) carries the ball after making a catch during the annual spring Purple-White game Friday, May 30, 2014, at Harmon Stadium in Fayetteville.

The 17th in a series profiling newcomers on the 2015 Arkansas football roster.

It's difficult to pinpoint exactly where the Arkansas Razorbacks' biggest strength lies on offense heading into this season.

The Razorbacks appear covered up front and in the backfield with projected offensive line starters Denver Kirkland, Sebastian Tretola, Mitch Smothers, Frank Ragnow and Dan Skipper back to block for senior Jonathan Williams and junior Alex Collins, who were the only FBS teammates to each rush for at least 1,000 yards in 2014.

At a glance

CLASS Freshman

HEIGHT/WEIGHT 6-4, 240 pounds

POSITION Tight end

HIGH SCHOOL Fayetteville

NOTEWORTHY Father Larry Marks lettered three years with the Arkansas basketball team in 1987-1990. … Was initially a quarterback when he joined Fayetteville’s football team before switching to tight end before his junior season. … Had 86 catches for 1,659 yards and 18 TDs in his two seasons with the Bulldogs. … Rated the No. 2 overall tight end overall and No. 1 prospect in Arkansas by Rivals.com and 247 Sports. … Finished with 5 receptions for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns, all in the first half, against Springdale Har-Ber in 2014, and caught 2 touchdown passes in the Bulldogs’ 42-35 victory in the Class 7A quarterfinals at Conway later that year. .. Had 5 catches for 91 yards, including a 38-yard reception, in the Class 7A championship game against Bentonville.

Junior All-SEC second-team selection Hunter Henry returns at tight end. Throw in the emergence of junior Jeremy Sprinkle and added depth from senior Alex Voelzke, and the Hogs were already a threat at that position even before the spring signings of Will Gragg, Austin Cantrell and C.J. O'Grady.

O'Grady, a former Fayetteville High School standout, said he is more excited about playing with a dynamic group of tight ends than worrying about playing time heading into his freshman season.

"We had the top recruiting tight end class in the nation," O'Grady said. "That's huge. That thought alone was just one reason to come here. We've got Austin Cantrell, Hunter, Will, Voelzke, Sprinkle. Man, we're loaded."

O'Grady's father, Larry Marks, played basketball for Arkansas in 1987-1990. C.J. O'Grady said he is continually asked about his father, who died in 2000 when O'Grady was just 3 years old but serves as a reminder to his son about what being a Razorback is all about.

"Still today people ask me if I am Larry Marks' kid," he said. "I tell them yeah, and they tell me what a great person he was. It was not a tough decision to come here at all. My dad played here, and I think that's awesome. That just gave me another reason to stay."

Fayetteville Coach Daryl Patton said he saw enough highlight-reel catches from O'Grady over the past two seasons to know the tight end belongs on the college campus that sits just yards away from his office.

"I definitely think he sees it as a challenge competing with all of those guys," Patton said. "There's a lot of talented kids there, no doubt about it, but C.J. is one of them.

"If C.J. goes in and works hard and performs like he is capable of doing, he'll play."

O'Grady, 6-4, 240 pounds, began his high school career playing quarterback before switching to tight end before his junior season. He had 86 receptions for 1,659 yards and 18 touchdowns his two seasons with the Bulldogs. Patton said there wasn't a single play from O'Grady that stood out but his three-touchdown game against Bentonville in 2013 came to mind.

"We ended up losing, but C.J. just totally took the game over," Patton said "Bentonville was double-teaming him, triple-teaming him and they couldn't stop him. As far as a single play, his junior year against [Rogers] Heritage he caught the ball in triple coverage to pretty much win the ballgame.

"He's made more one-handed catches than probably all of the players in my career combined. That's nothing we've taught him, I can promise you that. We always teach to catch two-handed. He's got that eye-hand coordination. He's a very gifted young man."

O'Grady said he wasn't sure how he was going to handle the switch from quarterback to tight end, but he has no regrets.

"When I got to Fayetteville, playing quarterback at the time, I thought it was something I could do," he said. "Then something just flipped on. My attitude changed. I started working harder, and I have loved it ever since."

The benefit of having Barry Lunney Jr. as his position coach at Arkansas also influenced O'Grady's decision to become a Razorback, especially since the former Fort Smith Southside standout played nearby before playing quarterback for Arkansas in 1992-1995.

"Coach Lunney has been a big influence," O'Grady said. "When the recruiting process started he had been on me every day, always saying the right things. We built a strong relationship then and it still carries on today."

Patton, who played quarterback at Missouri State before finishing at the University of Central Arkansas, said he understands how influential Lunney's history with the Razorbacks can be.

"I definitely think something Coach Lunney can share with him being from Arkansas, just how important it is to play for the University of Arkansas, which is the state's flagship institution," Patton said. "How you should bleed red."

O'Grady said his immediate goals are to get stronger and faster. He said he loves the thought of using two tight-end sets when fall practice starts, and Patton said his former standout should fit right in with Arkansas' plans.

"He's a matchup problem for linebackers," Patton said "He's a kid that was able to stretch the field for us. He runs a lot better for a big boy than you give him credit for. No doubt about it every defense we played the last two years, their focal point was always trying to stop our tight end."

Sports on 07/30/2015